Background: We have about 1500 feet of unfinished basement that I am contemplating finishing off into a "grandma suite". Before getting serious about the project, however, I would like to play around with some layouts.

My first thought was to download the 30-day trial of AutoCAD LT. But surely there must be some software that's better suited to a casual user, and doesn't cost $1200. Right?

What are some affordable alternatives to AutoCAD for people who need to use drafting software very infrequently?

We're looking for long answers that provide some explanation and context. Don't just give a one-line answer; explain why your answer is right, ideally with citations. Answers that don't include explanations may be removed.

Just keep in mind that code requires that plans be drawn up by a certified architect and sealed by an engineer. So while the drafting software will give you an idea, when the plans are actually drawn up they'll need to be to code and I don't think the aforementioned software packages will do this. They are simply good for proof of concept.
–
staticxAug 2 '10 at 17:42

Really? That's fair enough for building work, but not necessarily for build-out and finishing of a basement. In any case briefing an architect is much easier if you have a good outline draft to start with.
–
Jeremy McGeeAug 2 '10 at 20:25

Yes, even basement work needs drawing. Been there, done that - trust me. You don't want the city up your butt.
–
staticxAug 2 '10 at 22:29

1

Local codes vary wildly in terms of requirements of documentation. In places I've lived, there's no need for engineering drawings unless it's a structural modifcation. For a basement remodel, a napkin sketch is fine.
–
DA01May 22 '12 at 15:32

1

This is completely region dependent. In most municipalities, the building codes are provided and spelled out. Hiring someone to sketch it out for you is a convenience, not a requirement. If you do it yourself, you are responsible for ensuring that everything in that drawing meets minimum code. In Aurora, CO, for example, minimum code is spelled out down to the distance required between a water heater and the nearest wall. If your drawings meet all requirements, they are perfectly acceptable.
–
dolphyMay 22 '12 at 18:03

There is also Autodesk Homestyler (beta). I have not used it and it looks like a competitor to Google Sketchup (so not 100% 2D) but looks like it might give you want you want when laying out your basement.

For solid 2D performance I've always been a fan of Microsoft Visio. I use it for everything from electrical layouts to micro electronics signal flow to civil engineering sketches. The learning curve is minimal if you've ever used any other Microsoft productivity suite. You can also download oodles of templates and design objects, as well as import images, tables, charts, and whatever else you may need. And for about $100 you can get a copy from eBay. And if you are a student (this term is as loose as your morals) you can get a copy for much cheaper.

I like Visio's floorplan templates as well, but I sometimes get strange rounding errors with the measurements when I use them, like one wall of a room will show as 1/2" longer than the other, even though I have the corners snapped to the gridlines.
–
Niall C.♦Oct 30 '12 at 18:02

I use the open source QCad software, which is available for several platforms.
I use the Linux version (Ubuntu) but also tested the Mac OSX version which is time limited.

The application is a little bit disappointing if you think in terms of line/shape primitives such as in usual vector based drawing software.
Initially I think this kind of software was made for mechanical part design, but many libraries exist for home furniture, electric scheme,...

If:

you need 2D only

you really need
precision (a line that is really
tangent to a circle, lot of alignment
tools, ... )

you want to add
dimensions to your design (length,
diameters,...)

you want to export DXF
files (e.g. to send your design to a
laser cut machine, yes, amateur can
also do that !)

you want to produce
professional quality drawing

this soft is definitely an interesting tool for serious amateur.

The leaning curve is slow at the beginning but it definitely worths the effort !

Sometimes I use Inkscape, because I can draw things there much faster then in any CAD program. Of course I do not have the CAD features like "calculate area" and so on. But if I have to calculate 2 areas I am still faster with Inkscape.
If you want to use Inkscape for this task, create 3 lines with the following thickness next to your virtual page and use them as template.

0.5 mm

0.35 mm

0.25 mm

that will make a good looking sketch on A4 and letter format printout. And you can buy pens in the same thickness and draw in your printout in the same style.
There are a few hints on Drawing a Floor Plan in the Wiki.
You can inform yourself about the develpment status of ACAD Plugin for inkscape.

I've used all three of the above and settled on SketchUpBIM; fully measuring and designing my 100 year old house in 3D. It took a while to do, most of the time spent learning the software, but I've found it the easiest with the most functionality. And it's free.

I've used Floorplanner as well and was somewhat impressed with its friendly user interface even if the "object" database is slim and it is missing some more "advanced" features. For your "pre-plan" it would work fine for playing with ideas in your head.
–
ShoeMakerMar 20 '13 at 11:25

Although I've not used it in years, I always like TurboCAD.In senior year of high school (1999) I drew floor plans for a house in a windows 3.1 verision of the software on a windows 95 machine. This was my senior project for Mechanical Drawing 2. Freshman yearr of college I used a 32 bit version that was free to design a house as well.

It looks like TurboCAD designer and Turbocad is only $39 and their Deluxe and LTE editions are only $129.

I am currently using Sweet Home 3D to get an idea on how to fit all of my stuff in a new house. It's quite easy to use, if your house/room has straight walls. Sloped walls (like under a roof) are ... not as easy.